Bevan Cellars Ontogeny Red 2016 Napa Valley, California

Time for a good #FridayCabernetfix. Here is a great one from Napa Valley.

Inky in color with a short purple rim.

Showing black fruits with cedar, earth, vanilla, licorice, tobacco, coke, chocolates, dark coffee, leather, spices and peppercorn.

Full bodied and smooth with medium acidity. Dry on the palate with nice balance and mouthfeel.

This is a delicious Bordeaux blend from Napa Valley. Complex and opulent, and might be too much for some.

Dark, rich and handsome. Very tasty now, although still young. Will be nice to revisit it in 10 years.

Robert Parker 95 points. Thank you Scott for sharing.

Good by itself or with food, like a big piece of steak.

A blend of 62% Cabernet Sauvignon, 19% Cabernet Franc, 15% Petit Verdot and 4% Merlot.

15.2% alcohol by volume.

93 points.

$120.

Michael Mondavi M Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon 2007, California

Dark ruby in color with a wide brick rim.

Great nose of blueberries, blackberries, bell pepper, cedar, leather, dark chocolates, light vanilla, diet cola, dark coffee, black pepper, light alcohol, spices, earth, leather, vegetables, vinaigrette and tobacco.

Full bodied, smooth and elegant, with medium acidity and long legs.

Dry on the palate with blackberries, black currants, figs, vanilla, cedar, licorice, coke, tobacco, spices, black pepper, earth, herbs, dark chocolates and coffee.

Long finish with fine grained tannins, yet persistent, and tangy cherries.

What a great Cabernet sauvignon from Napa Valley this is. I had the 2006 recently and this is so much better.

This 13 year old is showing a great nose. I kept on smelling on it for a long time. Drinking very nicely now, with lots of complexity.

Thank you John for sharing this with me.

A good quality wine that still has lots in it to last another decade or two. Nicely balanced with great complexity and a smooth mouthfeel.

Good right out of the bottle, and changes every 20 minutes, which is so nice to see, and so interesting. I love these kind of wines. After two hours in a decanter it shows tannins and structure.

Delicious, tasty, interesting, rich and elegant.

100% Cabernet Sauvignon grapes were aged for 20 months in French oak barrels.

14.3% alcohol by volume.

95 points.

$170.

McGah Family Vineyards Scarlett Rutherford Cabernet Sauvignon 2014, Napa Valley, California

It’s time for a delicious Cabernet on this #FridayCabernetfix.

Dark ruby in color with a short purple rim.

Strong nose of blackberries, sweet cherries, figs, raisins, vanilla, cedar, licorice, cola, mocha, pencil lead, alcohol, peppercorn, leather and tobacco.

Full bodied, big, bold, rich and elegant, with medium acidity and long legs.

Dry and extremely fruity on the palate with blackberries, figs, cooked cherries, black licorice, cedar, vanilla, leather, spices, chocolates, tobacco, mocha, coke, peppercorn, pencil lead and dark coffee.

Long finish with round tannins, tangy cherries and spices.

This is a delicious Cabernet Sauvignon from a great vintage in Napa. Rich, powerful and tasty.

Still young, but already very yummy, and will age nicely in the next 5 to 10 years. Will probably be a 96+ point wine in 5 years.

This 6 year old is good right out of the bottle, but better as it opens up. I let it open up for 90 minutes, but I’m sure another couple of hours would have been a better choice.

Thank you Kim and Barry for sharing this delicious wine with me.

Good by itself as a sipping wine. I paired it with a charcuterie board of meats and cheeses.

14.9% alcohol by volume.

94 points.

$70.(current vintage)

Double Black Merlot 2018, Paso Robles, California

Time for some Merlot on this #MerlotThursday.

Dark ruby in color with a reddish rim.

Fruity nose of plums, cherries, wood, cloves, light vegetables, vanilla, spices, earth, light barnyard and black pepper.

Medium plus in body with medium plus acidity.

Dry on the palate with black cherries, black plums, currants, light oak, spices, earth, wet leaves, herbs and dark coffee.

Medium finish with round tannins and tangy raspberries.

This is a nice Merlot from Paso Robles. Easy drinking with a nice mouthfeel.

Needs an hour to open up properly and come into itself.

A nice wine to sip on by the porch. Good by itself or with food.

Thank you Wendy for sharing.

I paired it with a charcuterie board of meats and cheeses.

14.3% alcohol by volume.

89 points.

$14.

Newton Vineyard Unfiltered Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon 2010, California

To support the wineries that are the victims of the Glass fires, here is a delicious one from Newton Vineyard.

Dark ruby in color with a short purple rim.

Great nose of blueberries, cooked cherries, cedar, leather, earth, vanilla, licorice, spices, chocolates, coke, tobacco, light alcohol, mocha and black pepper.

Full bodied with medium acidity and long legs.

Dry on the palate with blackberries, cooked cherries, dried figs, raisins, vanilla, cedar, licorice, mocha, coke and peppercorn.

Long finish with fine grained tannins and tangy cherries.

This 10 year old Cabernet Sauvignon is drinking wonderfully, right out of the bottle. Very tasty and enjoyable by itself.

Very complex with a great mouthfeel. Rich and smooth. Awesome nose, that I kept smelling on for a long time.

This would have been even better if we had a couple of hours to open it up properly, but it was gone so quickly.

Robert Parker 94 points.

Delicious now and will continue to drink nicely in the next 5 years.

Good by itself or with food. I paired it with beef kebabs.

A blend of 83% Cabernet Sauvignon, 8% Syrah, 7% Petit Verdot and 2% Malbec.

14.5% alcohol by volume.

95 points.

$55 (current vintage).

High Dive Cellars Red Blend 2015, Napa Valley, California

Here is my #FridayCabernetfix with a beautiful Bordeaux blend from Napa Valley.

Dark ruby in color with a short purple rim.

Strong nose of blackberries, sweet cherries, strawberry pie, dried figs, tobacco, cedar, leather, vanilla, licorice, spices, chocolates, mocha, coke and light earth. Gorgeous nose.

Full bodied, smooth and bold, with medium acidity and long legs.

Dry and fruity on the palate with blackberries, black currants, figs, raisins, vanilla, sweet cedar, leather, chocolates, tobacco, licorice, earth, peppercorn, spices and light vegetables.

Long finish with firm tannins and tangy raspberries.

This is s very tasty Cabernet Sauvignon based blend. Showing a great mouthfeel, although still young.

Nicely balanced with nice complexity, which will get better in the next 5 to 10 years.

Fruit forward with a touch of a Left bank Bordeaux style.

Needs a couple of hours to open up properly, which I didn’t have unfortunately, as it finished too quickly. Delicious wine.

A blend of 68% Cabernet Sauvignon, 16% Merlot, 14% Cabernet Franc and 2% Petit Verdot. Aged for 19 months in 65% new French Oak barrels.

14.5% alcohol by volume.

92 points.

$95.

Heir Apparent Cellars Proprietary Red Wine 2017 Napa Valley, California

Here is a great wine for #MerlotThursday.

Ruby in color with a wide reddish rim.

Fruity nose with black currants, black plums, cooked cherries, light cedar, spices, peppercorn, tobacco, pencil lead, earth and herbs.

Full-bodied, elegant and smooth, with medium acidity.

Dry on the palate with plums, black currants, oak, light vanilla, vegetables, tobacco, peppercorn, espresso, earth, bitter herbs, dark chocolates, spices and pencil lead.

Medium plus on the finish with fine grained tannins and tangy raspberries.

This is a very tasty Bordeaux blend from Napa Valley. Showing nice complexity with a great, smooth mouthfeel.

Still young and needs 3 to 7 years to mature and become so much better. Showing great potential.

Good right out of the bottle, but way better after a few hours of airtime. I decided to drink it after 4 hours in a decanter. That’s when the complexity really shows.

Spicy and elegant, yet powerful.

Good by itself as a sipping wine or with food. I paired it with cheeses and light appetizers. Was very nice with the stinky Camembert cheese.

A blend of 30% Merlot, 40% Cabernet Sauvignon and 30% Cabernet Franc.

14.6% alcohol by volume.

91 points.

$110.

DNA Vineyards Dry Creek Valley Cabernet Sauvignon 2016, California

It’s time for my #FridayCabernetfix. Here is a delicious one from California.

Dark ruby in color with a short reddish rim.

Fruity nose of black plums, black cherries, light wood, vanilla, licorice, spices, cola, peppercorn, vinaigrette, dark chocolates, light vegetables and espresso.

Full bodied with medium acidity and long legs.

Dry on the palate with blackberries, black currants, plums, cooked cherries, oak, tobacco, vanilla, licorice, spices, espresso, cola, light vegetables, chocolates, leather and peppercorn.

Long finish with fine grained tannins and tangy cranberries.

This is a very tasty wine from Dry Creek Valley. Nicely balanced with a nice mouthfeel. Shows nice complexity with great structure.

I had it blind and I was really impressed with the complexity here. Drinks more like a Washington State Bordeaux blend. Delicious.

Thank you Wendy for sharing this with me.

Spicy and enjoyable by itself or with food. I paired it with a charcuterie board of meats and cheeses.

13.8% alcohol by volume.

93 points.

$28.

Oakwild Ranch Winery Toboni Vineyard Russian River Valley Pinot Noir 2016, California

Reddish in color with a wide reddish rim and medium plus intensity. Very pretty.

On the nose bing cherries, blueberries, spices, light oak, light red candy, earth and black pepper.

Medium plus in body with medium plus acidity.

Dry on the palate with bing cherries, raspberries, blueberries, light wood, light earth, spices and peppercorn.

Medium plus on the finish with soft tannins and tangy raspberries.

This 4 year old Pinot Noir from Sonoma County is drinking very nicely now. Nicely balanced with a nice mouthfeel.

Fruit forward and easy drinking with a spicy finish. Fun wine and very tasty now. Alcohol is nicely integrated by now.

Will continue to drink nicely in the next 3 to 5 years.

Good right out of the bottle. I gave it a light chill and had it by the pool. Paired nicely with a Double cream Brie cheese.

100% Pinot Noir grapes from a Single Vineyard. A small production of only 92 cases. Aged in 30% new oak barrels.

14.5% alcohol by volume.

89 points.

$45.

Mt. Brave Winery Mt Veeder Cabernet Sauvignon 2012, Napa Valley, California

Time for my #FridayCabernetfix. Here is a delicious one.

Deep inky in color with a short purple rim.

Fruity nose of black currants, plums, cooked cherries, cedar, vanilla, light vegetables, herbs, tobacco leaf, spices, graphite, peppercorn, pencil lead, dark coffee and earth.

Full bodied and bold with medium acidity and long legs.

Dry on the palate with blackberries, black currants, plums, cooked cherries, cedar, vanilla, licorice, cloves, herbs, spices, dark chocolates, coffee, peppercorn, light vegetables and pencil lead.

Long finish with round tannins and tangy raspberries.

This is a delicious Napa Cabernet. Showing great complexity and mouthfeel. Big and bold, rich and opulent.

Balanced and enjoyable by itself or with food. A great wine from a great vintage, with great potential.

Good right out of the bottle and better as it opens up (2 hours).

Robert Parker 92 points.

Drinking very nicely now and will be even better in the next 5 years.

I paired it with a charcuterie board of meats, cheeses and light appetizers.

A blend of 88% Cabernet Sauvignon, 5% Merlot, 4% Cabernet Franc and 3% Malbec. Aged in (81% new) French oak barrels.

14.5% alcohol by volume.

93 points.

$100.